Tommy the problem is you really need a lot, and I mean a lot, of equity plus huge job security to trade up (let alone the factor that there is almost no movement in the market anyway and mortgages are toughto get) especialy when you add in all fees/stampduty etc...to illustrate...."a falling market gives you a great opportunity to trade up" ..mmm maybe Your place ?500,000 at the peak lets say 20% fall in prices...= lost ?100,000 Fancy a house that was ?750,000 at peak...lost = ?150,000 stamp duty ?40ish + fees etc....... eats up your ?50K 'gain' and you've probably had to increase your mortgage in a very wobbly job market Really, you have to be doubling your house value or be in the ?1m+ value bracket to really gain from trading up at the mo.....Clearly if you were planning on moving anyway, havejob security and a lot of equity then you're going to be getting a bit more bang for your buck